


Sleepless Nights and Coffee Mugs

by Sirijanu



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Coffee mug analogy, Developing Relationship, Insomnia, M/M, Sexual Content, first fandom work, get-together, scienceboyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2013-01-03
Packaged: 2017-11-23 13:09:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/622474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirijanu/pseuds/Sirijanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony can't sleep, and turns to his workshop to distract himself. Little does he know Bruce can't quite get to sleep either. They drink, they talk, and Tony thinks.</p>
<p>EDIT: Please read the A/N</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepless Nights and Coffee Mugs

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, yeah summaries are hard. Beta'd by an ever lovely friend of mine. I may continue this universe, should it strike my fancy.
> 
> Characters are property of Marvel, and not mine. Anything you recognise is also probably not mine.
> 
> **EDIT: I've toyed with deleting this for a while now, but have decided not to. In all objective honesty, it's terrible. I've learned some valuable lessons in writing since then, and no longer consider this to be anything close to a pinnacle of my abilities. This is being kept as an important mile marker, accompanying various unpublished works as one of the first of mine to break 5000 words. It should be read as an interesting archaeological text, nothing more. I have left the main text untouched. Read at your own risk.

Tony threw another wrench across the room. He couldn't sleep, dreams of memories too close to the surface, and he'd promised Bruce, as well as Pepper, that he wouldn't drink to cope without talking with one of them about it first. Instead of pulling himself into a drunken stupor, he had gone down to his workshop to try and update Dummy's chassis. Again. He hadn't had much, if any luck, and was shortly going to try that dusty, wax-sealed bottle of scotch if nothing happened soon. He shook himself out of that idea, and decided to go for a walk to see if that could brighten his mood. Tony pushed through the door, muttering a final command of "Stay," to Dummy and the other bots. He glanced up at the hallway and froze when he saw Bruce standing there. Shouldn't he have been in bed already?

"Still up?" Bruce asked. He was knocked from his thoughts by Bruce's question, and let out a slight laugh.

"Unfortunately," he said. Straightening himself, he leaned against the wall next to him. "What about you? Don't giant green rage monsters need their beauty sleep?" Bruce grimaced, and glanced from Tony's eyes to the floor.

“Yeah, you would think that,” he chuckled without mirth. A hand went to run through the mop of curls on his head. Bruce continued, “I can't find sleep – he's keeping me up, too much energy,” he explained, still looking down. Tony laughed again, and walked over to Bruce, looping an arm around the other man's shoulders.

"Maybe you should try letting him out some time, I don't think he likes being kept in there," he tapped Bruce's head with his fingers, using the gesture as an excuse to touch the other man's hair. "All by his lonesome, eh?" he asked. Turning Bruce around, Tony started walking towards the nearest kitchenette/common area, dragging Bruce behind him. The physicist hummed happily to himself as he allowed Tony to drag him.

“Letting him out is not the best idea – I guess you know that,” Bruce said, still glancing around. Tony chuckled along with Bruce. He didn't think it could be all that bad, but he respected the other man enough not to push. They rounded the corner into the common space, and he paused to look around. No one else was present, and he pulled Bruce over to the raised counter top, depositing him on a bar stool. “I just need something to get this energy out of my body with-...” Bruce cut himself off, before adding, almost under his breath, “without killing anyone...”

“Have you tried getting laid?” Tony asked, walking around to the other side of the counter. “I haven't seen you with any lady-friends recently, but not even I'm omniscient,” he smirked slightly, laughing at his own joke. “Got anyone special to take the edge off? Sex burns a hell of a lot of calories, too,” he pointed out. Bruce's face reddened, and he swallowed, looking away from Tony again.

“I-I can't do any of... That, Tony,” Bruce explained, waving his hand about for emphasis. “And that is a fact I accepted many, many years ago.” he finished, and grimaced, clenching his jaw, as if cutting off more words. Tony's jaw dropped in surprise.

“How long...?” Tony managed. From his mindset, Sex, Alcohol and Science were the things that made life worth living. He knew Bruce didn't drink, but no sex on top of that? How did the man even have any kind of lid on his little green problem, it sounded more like he was dying from the worst case of blue-balls Ever. Before Bruce had a chance to respond, Tony continued. “Are you sure? Sex is great for stress relief, might be good for both of you,” he pointed out.

“I...” Bruce began, visibly overwhelmed. “Uh, Tony, I'm sharing this body with a monster, I can't risk being so... intimate, with anyone. Not when it means I'll probably kill them,” he managed. Tony hummed to himself.

“C'mon, you mean you haven't since the accident?” he asked, “Not even tried?” and moved to start the coffee machine and set a kettle of water on the stove for Bruce's tea. The other man stammered, before just shaking his head. “I can think of a fair handful of women who'd be more than happy to give one night, no strings attached,” he said, and flipped another switch on the coffee maker before turning back to Bruce. “Unless women don't do it for you?” Bruce averted his eyes, and refused to answer, even silently.

Tony shrugged, and they sat in silence for a time. He turned back to grab a pair of select cups, one they each favoured, from the cupboard behind him when the kettle whistled. “You know, just avoiding the topic will make me even more curious, best to just come out with it,” Tony said. He turned around and firmly set the mugs on the counter. “Unless you really want me to ask again?”

“Why are you so interested in this?” Bruce shot back, blushing. He avoided direct eye contact again, taking off his glasses to fiddle with. “I prefer men – Happy now?” he demanded, the red on his face only getting darker as he rubbed an imagined smudge on the glasses, plainly nervous. Tony sighed, and leaned forward on the counter, bracing himself against the cool tiles.

“Look, my best friend is sitting over there, telling me he hasn't gotten laid in years. I think it's my duty to hook him up with someone,” he said, before turning back to the boiled water. “Sure, I guess I'm 'happy now', even though you still haven't answered my other queries,” he paused, and pulled out Bruce's favourite tea from the box. He jerked a bag out of it a little harder than necessary. “Look, you're going to have to get a little more specific, unless you really want to play twenty questions?” he asked, turning back to Bruce. The other man was smiling at the tea choice, but quickly hid it, causing Tony to raise an eyebrow. He fidgeted for a time, before responding.

“I don't know what you mean, what you want to know. I don't need a one night stand, Tony, I'm not that kind of person,” he said, pointedly. Tony sent him a disbelieving look. Almost idly, his hands continued to make the tea. He carefully poured the boiling water into the mug from the canister he'd had the leaves steeping in, filling it up as full as possible, barely risking an overflow, while he said,

“Bruce, please. You're a scientist. Are you sincerely telling me you haven't even tested if the big guy comes out?” He snickered at his own double entendre. “And I'm trying to figure out what you meant when evading a question. You just made it harder for me to find, now I'm even more curious. You know how this works,” he pointed out, placing the handle-less mug on the tiles in front of Bruce. He had made it specially for the man, after learning through a drunken haze that Bruce liked it better when things were symmetrical. He hadn't noticed how much Bruce was that cup when he'd made it for the man, hours in the workshop trying to choose the perfect volume for it to hold, smoothing the edges so there were no burrs or ripples. It might have come to a shock to most, to find that Tony Stark could sculpt just as well with clay as he could bend metal to his will. Most people would be surprised just how many ceramic parts are used in a fine piece of machinery. It was probably more effort than anyone would really go into for a mere friend, but he had a response ready if they ever did ask. He was Tony Stark, rich as fuck, and prone to designing things out of boredom.

“I am more interested in men, as far as I can tell. And no – I tested it once. If my hear rate is above normal, it gets complicated. After turning back, I was glad I had been alone.” his voice had been decreasing in volume while speaking, to the point that the final statement was barely audible. He carefully wrapped his hands around and picked up the mug, gazing into the liquid. “I can't risk that, Tony. As much as I'd like to; I simply can't.” Tony raised his eyebrows again.

“Gets complicated? As in your alter ego doesn't necessarily come out to play?” He asked, grabbing his own mug from the coffee maker he had placed it under, before sitting down himself. It was a flashy thing, in Iron Man colours of course, that he'd had for a while. The handle on it was shaky, and he was waiting for the thing to just fall off, and get it over with. He'd noted long ago just how much he, himself, resembled his preferred drinking ware. Fine at first glance, but as soon as one lifts the cup it becomes apparent just how much it is being held together by force of will alone. It never ceased to amaze Tony that the mug itself hadn't shattered yet, what with all the times it had been dropped. “And you only tried it once? You do realise that any experiment must be repeatable to be considered valid,” he pointed out, taking a sip of his coffee. He set down the mug, and waved his hand toward Bruce. “Also, c'mon, you gotta have a type?”

“He destroyed a building, so I didn't try it, or anything akin to such practices again. I don't know if there is any way to do it without him taking over control,” he stated, collecting himself for the final question. “A type... uhm... I don't know...” he muttered and shrugged, eyes back down. Tony knew most of his tells by now, and lowered voice with decreased eye contact was one of them. He shrugged again. Bruce wasn't doing his duty as a scientist, but he didn't exactly want to pressure him on it any more, especially with the direction the conversation was heading. He mentally cursed when Bruce wouldn't give him any more information alluding to his preferences. So much for that line of questioning. He stood and walked to the other counter so he could face away from Bruce, and rifle through the dry foodstuffs. So, time for plan B.

“Then let's play this another way. If you didn't have the Other Guy to contend with, surely there'd be someone you had your eye on?” he said, and turned around to watch the reaction. Bruce's hands tightened on the mug, and he pursed his.

“Can't we... just – I mean – let go of this topic and leave it like this...?” He asked nervously, staring down at his tea. “There... there is someone... but...” he added in a lower voice, and grimaced with what was no doubt regret after saying it.

Tony grabbed the box of Oreos and tore out a packet. “Sorry, I want to know, and you are plenty aware that I'll keep trying to find out, no matter how you try and stop me.” He stepped back and took his seat again, pulling open the plastic covering the tube. “What's wrong? He taken? Can't handle the idea of sleeping with someone of a higher IQ? Straight? Imaginary?” Tony prodded.

“He's...” Bruce trailed off, and sighed, shoulders slackening. “He knows me well... He's straight as far as I know and there's no noticeable gap in the intelligence area...” he paused and chuckled. “Anyway, he's taken and I don't want to lose him because of this... as...” he trailed off again, and stared back into his tea. Tony had to forcibly bite his lip to keep from saying anything, crossing his fingers for more information. Finally, Bruce spoke up again, voice barely above a whisper. “As you are by far too important to me, Tony."

Tony leaned back, almost as if to accommodate his rising brows. This... Well. This changes things. He stood up slowly, and leaned forward over the counter. “Well, that's a relief. Means you probably won't hit me for this...” he muttered, and leaned himself closer to Bruce en order to claim his mouth with a kiss.

Bruce gasped in surprise, and his eyes widened for a second, before they fluttered shut and he leaned more into Tony's lips. Tony pulled away to breathe, and looked back at Bruce with a smile on his face. “Though I do think I should correct you on a few things there,” he said. “Firstly, only taken if you want me to be,” he rattled off as he walked around the counter to sit next to Bruce. “Second, Me? Straight? What could have possibly given you that impression?” he asked, leaning in to place kisses along Bruce's jaw line. “Thirdly, not much of an IQ difference? Seriously?” He demanded, running his hands through Bruce's curls. “You take the cake for that, hands down,” and pulled them both closer so he could heartily kiss Bruce again.

A shudder ran down Bruce's back as he answered it eagerly, but he was unable to relax into it fully. Instead, he seemed to be focusing on staying calm, and no doubt keeping his heart rate steady. Tony pulled back again, standing once more. He gently tugged Bruce to his feet, and pulled him over to the couch. He flopped down, dragging Bruce on top of him. Wrapping his arms around the scientist, Tony whispered into his ear. “Relax, enjoy it, don't worry,” as he folded his hands into Bruce's hair again, re-attaching their mouths.

Bruce shivered against him, before closing his eyes and making all the muscles in his body relax, pressing himself more into Tony in the process. Feeling this shift, Tony smiled into Bruce's mouth. Carefully, he shifted their weight so he could sit up against the armrest, and Bruce could sit more fully without leaning too much on him. He pulled away and traced lines along Bruce's neck, over where his thyroid would sit, and thumbed his jaw. “This only goes as far as you want it. If we only get as far as kissing tonight, that's fine. If it's all we do ever, that's fine too,” he murmured to Bruce, planting a light kiss on his nose. “All I ask is for you to trust me, to know what I'm doing and to listen if you say to stop.”

Bruce smiled blissfully, lifting his hand up to carefully stroke over Tony's cheek. “I am trusting you, Tony. I always have,” he breathed softly. “And I... I think we can try to go further if.. if you want me...” he whispered.

Tony smiled back at Bruce and pressed another soft kiss to his lips, before pulling away again. “How could I not want you? You're intelligent, wonderful, kind, and sweet. Anyone would be lucky to have you,” he said, placing a kiss to the corner of Bruce's mouth this time. “If you are sure you want to try and go further, what do you say to taking this somewhere a little bit more comfortable, hn?” he asked softly, nodding to their place on the couch.

Following Tony's gaze, Bruce nodded. “O-okay,” he answered and stood, extending his hand to grab Tony's to help him to his feet. Tony stood, and tugged on Bruce's hand to nudge him in the direction of his bedroom. He resisted the urge to dart into a supply closet or a guest room, knowing that he wanted Bruce to be somewhere comfortable, lived in. Tony paused outside his door, and keyed a pair of codes into the pad by it before pushing through into the master suite. The lights faded from sterile white to soft gold with hints of greens and browns with the barest hint of orange fire light. He manoeuvred Bruce over onto the bed, and gently helped him lay back on the expensive sheets. Bruce's breathing was unsteady, as he turned to press his face into Tony's neck. “Tony... if anything happens... I am sorry...” he whispered into the skin there.

Tony moved his hand up to place a finger lightly over Bruce's lips. “Shh, nothing's going to happen. You know why?” He prompted, gliding his other hand up Bruce's arm, squeezing gently over Bruce's shoulder. “Because we are going to talk through things. I am going to ask you if actions are okay, and we aren't going to do anything you're not comfortable with,” he urged his partner, and reached down to carefully untie Bruce's shoes while nudging off his own.

He slipped Bruce's socks off his feet, along with the man's shoes. He moved back up to Bruce's head to kiss him a little longer, while his left hand went searching for the box tucked tightly under the mattress. Bruce relaxed, returning the kiss, breathing more steady. Tony smiled into Bruce's face, and pulled himself back lightly. Slowly, he straightened, and slid the box closer to himself with one hand. He moved the other to toy with the hem of the purple silk shirt Bruce was wearing. It had taken some cajoling to get Bruce to wear anything that didn't come from a thrift store or pawn shop, but the rewards of seeing the other man in fitted clothing was worth it. His other hand joined the first one at the edge of the shirt, and Tony slid them both under the rim of the silk, massaging circles into the muscle there. “Hey, we good? Can I go farther?” he asked.

“Yessss,” Bruce hummed in response, his eyes half-lidded as he watched Tony. “Just go on...” he pleaded.

Tony nodded to him, and lifted Bruce's shirt up a little ways, before moving to undo the buttons. When the fabric fell easily to either side of the other man's torso, Tony inched it off each arm, then out from under his partner. Folding it neatly, he set it on the floor by the bed, and smoothed it out. He turned his attention back to Bruce, and leaned down to press a wet kiss to the other man's collar bone. While his mouth was busy, Tony's hand took it upon themselves to explore and map every inch of exposed skin. They ran over muscle and ligaments and cartilage with the same reverence they showed when handling a piece of any of Tony's precious bots.

The doctor's head fell back, and a quiet moan slipped out of his throat, and arched into Tony's touch. Tony felt the other man's pulse quicken under his hands, and pulled away from Bruce's flesh with a grin. Bruce had surely to have noticed the change, and the mere fact he hadn't called off the procedure was an improvement over where he had been before. Tony's hands meandered up to play at Bruce's nipples, teasing the flesh around the areola, twining in his chest hair. Tony had to bite off a groan when Bruce arched into him, and he took his hands down to nudge at the edge of Bruce's slacks, looking for permission.

Looking down at Tony, Bruce nodded hesitantly, breathing a little more unsteady. He was blushing slightly. Tony smiled up at him again, hoping his confidence would be reassuring. Slowly, he edged the trousers down, and off, Bruce's legs. He folded them neatly and set them down to join the shoes and shirt. Tony straightened where he was standing over the bed and yanked off his tank top, using it to mop up some of the grease that had collected on his arms, face and hair. Tony dropped it carelessly to the side, and jerked off his jeans, providing them with the same treatment. He hadn't been wearing any undergarments, leaving himself less clothed than Bruce. He swiped the underside of his feet on the jeans before kneeling up on the bed.

He grinned when he noticed Bruce looking him over, and it pulled itself into a smirk as Bruce bit his lip. “You, are perfect,” he whispered to Tony.

The engineer laughed at the comment, and said, “I've got nothing on you,” and leaned in to trace the outline of Bruce's under shorts with his fingers. He leaned closer to place soft kisses right where the upper fabric-covered elastic intersected with flesh, trailing open mouthed kisses down the cloth until his mouth was pressed into the bulge that was Bruce's cock. He raised his eyes to meet Bruce's through his eyelashes, and touched his tongue to the highest point on the mound. Tauntingly, he let his fingers peek under the edges of the fabric and tugged gently, another silent request.

Breathing heavily, Bruce waited a moment before nodding, and lifted his hips slightly to help Tony remove them. Tony smiled up at Bruce, around where he still pressed his tongue. The fingers that had been teasing the hems latched onto the fabric and pulled, careful of Bruce's half-hearted erection. Once he had them far enough down Bruce's legs to not impede him, Tony gently sucked the tip into his mouth, while pulling the shorts all the way off and discarding them to the side of the bed, atop the neat stack made up of Bruce's other clothing. The right hand returned to rub gently at Bruce's hip, while the left reached up to rub against a nipple once more and then curl in Bruce's chest hair. “Ah–Tony–” Bruce moaned, shuddering and closing his eyes while he leaned his head back.

Tony took even more of Bruce's cock into his mouth, bobbing his head slightly and sucking. His hands left off their own conquests to gently remove the lid from the box, and setting it next to it. Tony pulled his hands back, and used one to stroke up and down Bruce's shaft while the other dipped lower to rub lightly near Bruce's hole. Tony raised his eyes to Bruce's once more, and cocked his head, awaiting permission. Bruce winced slightly at the sensation on skin that didn't normally get much, if any, contact. His irises were greenish instead of the usual shade of brown. He was clearly too focused on remaining in control to say something, his hands grabbing the sheets almost tight enough to rip them.

Tony retracted his hand, and pulled off of Bruce's erection. He moved up to wrap his arms around Bruce's shoulders, and pressed light, feathery kisses along his cheek bones and jaw line. "Hey, easy," he soothed. One hand reached up to tangle in Bruce's hair, and the other moved to trace the stubble showing on the man's cheek and neck. "You with me? We can always stop if you want to, and remember," he said, and kissed Bruce's cheek again. "This goes only as far as you want it to."

Bruce calmed slowly, eye colour returning to normal, and loosening his hands. “Y-yes... it's alright... I'm here...” he trailed off, trying to catch his breath. When it had calmed enough to speak again, he continued. “I want it, Tony... I really... really want it...” he finished in a low voice, still panting. He looked up at Tony, almost desperate. “Please... don't stop now..."

Tony nodded to him, and moved back down, leading one hand to grasp Bruce's in reassurance. He took Bruce back into his mouth, and sucked hard. This time, instead of going directly to Bruce's entrance, his other hand reached for something in the box. Blindly feeling around for something against the wood, Tony brought his hand back wrapped around a hard plastic bottle of lube. In a feat that would be nearly impossible if he were anyone other than Tony Stark, he squeezed some of the contents out one-handed, without spilling any onto the sheets. With a final reassuring squeeze, Tony pulled his other hand down to work the gel around on the fingers of the first one. Satisfied with his work, Tony returned most of his focus to swallowing Bruce down, and reached back behind Bruce to nudge at the opening with newly slicked fingers.

“Oh my–” Bruce cut himself off with a groan, shuddering in pleasure as he spread his legs more, holding Tony's hand in a firm grip that was just a little bit too strong.

Tony smirked around the cock in his mouth, and pushed the tip of his middle finger just beyond the tight ring of muscle, waiting For Bruce to adjust. Feeling the other's body spasm around the digit, Tony resumed his activity with renewed vigour at the sounds Bruce was making. He felt Bruce's testicles rise up slightly from where they had been resting on his wrist, and gave one final suck before pulling off. Bruce looked down at Tony breathlessly. “That... was great...” he gasped, a blush on his face that made his smile almost cute.

Tony tried his hardest not to laugh, though his jerking pushed his finger farther inside of Bruce. "Was? Past tense? There's a lot more I'd like to do, if you're amenable," he said, pushing his finger in all the way and crooking it slightly in a search of a ball of nerves he knew was near there.

“Ah– yes; there!” Bruce's grip around Tony's hand tightened for a heartbeat when Tony hit the right spot, causing the doctor to throw his head back and arch his spine. “Tony!” he moaned, voice dripping of lust.

Tony smiled, and stretched up to claim Bruce's mouth once more in a kiss. Carefully, he nudged in a second finger, sinking it in as deep as the other, and spreading them apart. Tony freed his other hand from Bruce's grasp to run it along the side of Bruce's face, tangling it in his hair as he pulled the scientist closer to him, forcing his tongue deep inside the other man's mouth. Moaning against Tony's lips, Bruce returned the heated kiss, his own tongue meeting Tony's to tangle with it while he moved his hips against the two fingers inside him, canting them down to force the digits farther.

Tony smiled again, and began to work another finger into Bruce's entrance. He managed to get the first digit inside, before pausing and removing his other hand from Bruce's hair to squeeze more lube onto the exposed fingers of the other one. Once the coating had been renewed, Tony wasted little time before taking a bit of a risk, and forcing all three fingers inside at once, simultaneously thrusting his tongue harder into Bruce's mouth. Bruce arched his back more further, spreading his legs and lifting up his hips while he groaned into the kiss, shudders of anticipation running through his body. Tony pulled away from the kiss, and removed his fingers all at once, reaching with his more dry hand to pick up a foil wrapped packet from the box, and moved to rip it open.

“N-o condom, Tony,” Bruce pleaded shakily, glancing at him through half-lidded eyes. "I... I want to feel _y-you_..." he trailed off, voice cracking.

Tony shrugged, and tossed the packet back into the box, reaching down with his left hand to slick up his cock with the leftover lube from preparing Bruce. "God, Banner, you have no idea how hot you are like this," he ground out, barely keeping himself from moaning. Once he was confident he had used enough, Tony moved his right hand to lift Bruce's hips, smearing residual lube on the skin there, and grabbed his partner's hand again with the other. Bruce smiled disbelieving at the comment, and locked his eyes with Tony's as he was lifted up, bracing himself for what would come next.

Tony dove in to kiss him as he pushed his cock in to Bruce's tight heat with a groan. He didn't stop until he was all the way in, balls pressing against the warm flesh of Bruce's ass, revelling in the sensation of the physicist’s inner walls squeezing him. He pulled back from the kiss with another groan, readjusting his hands for better leverage. "Fuck, Bruce,” he panted.

Bruce gasped as their lips parted, and stared up at Tony with pupils dilated from lust, nearly blotting out all of the brown from view. “So good-” he managed to grind out between his heavy breaths. When he felt himself adjusting to Tony's size, he lifted up his legs, wrapping them around Tony's waist.

Tony grinned, and wrapped his arm around Bruce's shoulders from where the hand had rested there, and tightened his grip on Bruce's  
hips. He lifted Bruce a little while pulling out, and he rammed back in, setting up a fast pace. Bruce groaned with each of Tony's thrusts into him, heart racing as he grabbed the sheets tightly. Fortunately it was neither Tony's hand nor any other parts of the inventor's body, as the fabric made a harsh ripping noise between his fingers. His eyes were pressed shut and he threw his head back, moaning Tony's name.

Tony slowed down, and eased the arm down from Bruce's shoulders to pull at the other man's erection, pushing his luck as his pace lost it's rhythm and he began thrusting without much of a pattern, only the feeling of _need_. Bruce keened, and Tony felt the splattering of semen on his stomach and chest from Bruce's orgasm. That, and the sensation of Bruce's ass clenching around him was enough to drive him over the edge as well, coming hard inside of Bruce.

They lay there for a time, before Bruce groaned and Tony pulled out, collapsing on the bed next to Bruce. “So, that was...” he trailed off. Bruce nodded next to him.

“Y-yeah,” he managed, and turned his head to Tony. “Hey,” he breathed. Tony smiled back at him.

“Hey,” he said warmly, moving his left hand to trace the line of Bruce's jaw and cheek bones.

Groaning, Tony heaved himself up and snatched a packet of disposable wipes from the box, and gently cleaned both himself and Bruce. He threw the light cloth into the waste bin near the bed, and closed the box, shoving it back into it's place under the mattress. He dropped himself back into the bed next to Bruce, and pulled the sheets and blankets over himself and Bruce. “JARVIS, lights,” he commanded, and the room dropped into darkness, aside from the glow from the arc in Tony's chest.

Bruce rolled over and placed a palm over Tony's reactor, fingers fidgeting over the surface, making interesting patterns from the light. He smiled wide at Tony, and took his glasses from where they had gone askew on his forehead, and placed them on the bedside table. Silently, he curled himself up against Tony's chest, pressing as much of himself against the billionaire's skin as he could. Tony smiled, pressing his nose into Bruce's hair. He draped his arm over Bruce's shoulder, pulling the other man impossibly closer to himself. Tony stared into the darkness over Bruce's head, unaccustomed to the lack of light, given that his sleeping habits did little to block its light.  
They lay there in silence for another few minutes, And Tony allowed his thoughts to wander. Maybe, Bruce would let something else in, help keep everything back. Let the tea bag steep in the water of its final destination, let Tony act as saucer and wick at once, catching the over flow, and helping to control location and form of any altering flow, and cracks in the other man's control.

And maybe, just maybe, Bruce could act as glue and sealant, keep the handle hatcheted, and plug the cracks. Make sure everything stays where it's supposed to, ensure it all stays right. Tony smirked into the black of the room. It's amazing what remaining wakeful beyond a reasonable time frame can do for one's world view, he smiled to himself, and wrapped up his silent musings.

“Hey, Banner, we a thing?” he asked into the darkness, hoping Bruce would be too far asleep to hear, let alone answer. The other man shifted, pressing closer to Tony, and grasping his forearm tightly with his mobile hand. The answer came, and the smile was clear through Bruce's voice.

“Yes, Tony, we're a thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Parts of the story line are from a RP on omegle a while ago, though I have converted it to a single point of view, as well as added and embellished plot. Also added and corrected dialogue. If you are the person I was speaking with, and would like to be credited, feel free to contact me for such actions. Any comments and/or corrections would be acceptable and even appreciated.


End file.
